The Online Guide to Traditional
Games

Moksha-Patamu (Snakes and Ladders)

This ancient race game, like Pachisi,
originated in India although the author isn't sure when. It is a game
of morality with the bases of the ladders being located on squares representing
various types of good and the more numerous snakes coming from squares representing
various forms of evil. The squares of virtue on the original game are
Faith (12), Reliability (51), Generosity (57), Knowledge (76), Asceticism (78);
the squares of evil are Disobedience (41), Vanity (44), Vulgarity (49), Theft
(52), Lying (58), Drunkenness (62), Debt (69), Rage (84), Greed (92), Pride
(95), Murder (73) and Lust (99). The game is Hindu and was used to teach
children about the religion in that the good squares allow a player to ascend
higher in the league of life whereas evil will reduce a player back through
reincarnation to lower tiers of life. Presumably the last square, 100,
represents Nirvana.

The morality of the game must have appealed to the Victorians,
who took to the game when it was published in 1892 in England. Called
Snakes and Ladders, the game play was pretty much the same but some of the
vices and virtues were renamed according to Victorian ideals. So Penitence,
Thrift and Industry elevated a player up a ladder to squares labelled Grace,
Fulfilment and Success while Indolence, Indulgence and Disobedience slid
a player down to Poverty, Illness and Disgrace. The number of ladders
and snakes were also equalised.

Picture is by kind permission Kidd's Toys.

The game still exists in the West (and in India?) but in the West the moral
overtones have disappeared and many versions are a lot easier because the ladders
outnumber the snakes.

Buying

Snakes and Ladders is available in almost all game shops. I don't know of a
version that includes the morality words.